Hunted
by JarrettSoon
Summary: King Candy puts a bounty on Vanellope's head and the racers of Sugar Rush are after her, spearheaded by Taffyta. How will Vanellope escape? And what secret will she discover?
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! I'm back after a loooong hiatus. Basically I've been real busy with university (lovin' it though!) and I briefly lost the passion for writing, but I'm making my return with this story. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review letting me know what you think!_

**Chapter 1**

Vanellope crept to the edge of the Taffy Track, shielded by the licorice vines, where she had a good view of the leaderboard. It was the annual Sugar Rush Anniversary Race, commemorating the day Sugar Rush was plugged in. Every racer raced their hardest, because the pot was doubled and King Candy sat out the race as the guest of honor. Vanellope had come in hopes of getting her hands on a gold coin. "I only need one; just one and I can race!" she thought to herself. "Maybe Taffyta or Rancis will leave a few in their kart today." She waited impatiently as King Candy began his usual pre-race speech. He seemed more excited and jumpy than usual, grinning maniacally and rubbing his hands.

"Hello, loyal subjects! Have some candy!" he lisped, as the cheers of the game's denizens filled the air. "Today is a very special day; the 10th anniversary of the plugging in of Sugar Rush! For this race, the winner's pot has been doubled from my own pocket, so I hope all the racers have the motivation to race their best!"

Taffyta smirked arrogantly and waved to the crowd, signature lollipop in a corner of her mouth; she was the overwhelming favorite to win in the absence of King Candy's Royal Kart. Rancis slicked back his hair and winked to the camera; he was the only other racer with a real chance of victory. Hope and determination was etched across the faces of the other racers, in the knowledge that Jubileena had upset the odds two years ago.

"But before we begin, I have a special announcement. In conjunction with our 10th anniversary, I am launching a treasure hunt for all racers. Many of you already know of the menace to our game, the Glitch." A picture of Vanellope, captured from security cameras, flashed on the giant screen. Boos and whistles rang from the stands. King Candy made a calming gesture with his hands. "Do not worry, my subjects. I have a plan to eliminate her, and it will be televised live as a competition! I am placing a bounty of 100 gold coins on her head. The first racer to bring her to me shall win that treasure! The hunt will begin ten minutes after the race ends. The top five finishers will receive three non-lethal weapons of their choice as an advantage in this hunt. And without further ado, let the race begin!"

Vanellope gasped. "No…"

A smile curled across Taffyta's lips. "You'd better watch out, Glitch!"

Rancis nodded. "Prize money, here I come!"

King Candy enthusiastically yelled the countdown and flagged off the race. He settled back into his throne to watch, smiling to himself. "Hoo-hoo, you'd better watch out now, Glitch!"

Vanellope backed away from the track and started running, even as fear snaked its cold fingers around her chest. "I gotta get to Candy Cane Forest before the race ends." The little girl sped over the miles, spurred along by fear.

~o~

Taffyta smiled victoriously as she held the pot aloft. It had been a close race; with Rancis and Gloyd pushing her closely at times, but she had pulled away in the last lap to seal the win. King Candy approached her to congratulate her. "That was amazing, Taffyta! You're probably the best racer in this game, haha! Well, besides me, of course."

She flashed a sweet smile. "Thank you, King Candy, but I'm actually looking forward to the treasure hunt…"

"Oh, of course! That's the spirit!" Graham cracker guards stepped forward to confer with the top five finishers, as the marshmallows attached cameras onto the karts. While the guard was rummaging in the armory, she sidled over to Rancis and whispered, "You and me, together on the hunt? We'll split the reward when we find the Glitch."

Rancis thought for a moment and smiled, nodding in agreement. "We'll have to hurry, though. The Recolors have already formed an alliance, and Swizzle and Gloyd are working together. It won't be easy."

"Yeah, but they don't have the karts and the smarts that we do together!"

~o~

A couple of hours later, they arrived at Candy Cane Forest. "You really think she's here?" Rancis asked.

"Positive. I've seen here around here a few times. Also, think for a moment. It's the hardest place to negotiate on karts."

Rancis nodded. "Okay, so we go on foot, right?"

Taffyta thought for a moment. "We'll take one kart along, and disable the second. One of us can chase her on foot if she goes into tight thickets of trees."

Rancis offered, "My Kit Kart has higher control; it might be more useful in the Forest."

"Okay. Gimme a sec." Taffyta lifted Pink Lightning's hood, unplugged a couple of wires, and locked up her kart. She then slung a crossbow loaded with tranquilizer arrows over her shoulder and clipped a peppermint hunting knife to her belt. "Okay, let's go." She hopped into the Kit Kart and the duo rolled down the main trail of the Candy Cane Forest.

Half an hour into their search, they began to find traces of Vanellope's trail. A broken branch here; a shoe print there. Suddenly, Taffyta's ears pricked up. "Shut the kart's engine off!" she hissed. Rancis obeyed. They sat in the silence as a bird chirped in a nearby tree. Taffyta swung her gaze round sharply at a rustle in the undergrowth. She carefully unslung her crossbow and took aim. An arrow whistled towards the noise.

~o~

Vanellope was crouching under a bush, her heart thumping furiously against her chest. She had narrowly avoided discovery by Minty Zaki and Snowanna Rainbeau barely ten minutes ago. Now she heard an engine rumble nearby. "Is it them again?" she wondered. The engine noise died. Dare she chance a peek? Before she could make up her mind, an arrow flashed past her, embedding itself in the tree trunk next to her head. She glitched in panic.

_That's Chapter 1! I'll be updating every three days (promise, pinky swear, cross my heart, etc.) =). Please leave a review and thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

Aarrgh! I missed my target of Friday! *whacks self in the head* Anyway, here's chapter 2. Short and sweet.

**Chapter 2**

Taffyta's eyes caught a flash of blue. "The Glitch! Now!" she commanded. The Kit Kart churned dirt and leaped forward. Vanellope, flushed from her hiding place, dashed from cover down a narrow side trail, hoping that a kart could not fit down it. She grazed her face and arms on low-hanging branches and barely kept her footing, but she pushed on. Survival was her main focus.

The Kit Kart soon ground to a halt, unable to maneuver between the trees. Taffyta gritted her teeth in frustration before leaping off and rolling to her feet. She dashed off in pursuit, following Vanellope's footprints.

Taffyta almost caught up a couple of times, but Vanellope stayed just out of reach and sight. Several times, Taffyta had closed within range of an arrow, but Vanellope always disappeared again before Taffyta could load and fire.

Vanellope ran on and on, with the crashing of Taffyta's footsteps within hearing. Thinking she was pulling away, Vanellope chanced a glance over her shoulder. That move nearly cost her. In mid-stride, her foot made contact with a jawbreaker planted firmly in the ground. Thrown off balance, she stumbled and fell, grazing her knees and hands.

Taffyta dashed into sight and seized on the opportunity to loose several arrows at Vanellope as she scrambled to her feet. The last of the arrows pinned Vanellope's hoodie to a tree trunk. Ripping free, Vanellope put on a burst of speed and disappeared round a bend. Taffyta quickly resumed the chase. However, as Taffyta rounded the bend, Vanellope's footprints just ended mid-trail. Taffyta drew to a halt, looking around in confusion and frustration. "Urhhh!" She stamped her foot and hurled her crossbow to the ground in frustration, as the red mist descended on her. She soon came to her senses and pulled out her walkie-talkie. "Rancis, can you hear me? Over."

"Loud and clear, Taffy. What's up? You lost her?"

"I'm activating my GPS. Come pick me up."

"Man, you really lost her, didn't you?"

"You'd better get your posh butt here in ten."  
>"Remember, you're the one that needs a ride, blondie. Don't antagonize me."<br>"I warn you, Rancis, if you don't shut up and come this instant, I will hunt you down and broil you in an oven together with the Glitch!"

"…On my way. Over and out."

Vanellope had jumped midstride and managed to glitch onto a tree. She scrambled to the highest branches and watched Taffyta's tantrum for a while before taking the opportunity to escape while the blonde was distracted. She silently leaped from tree to tree, increasing the distance between her main antagonist and her.

Vanellope's heart was still thumping. "If they're hunting for me, they'll surely find me!" she thought despondently. "I can't run forever…" As if to prove a point, a twig snapped and Swizzle and Gloyd came into view. They were acting strangely; ducking behind trees and pretending to be professional trackers. "A deaf waffle wolf could hear them coming a mile away," she chuckled to herself. She changed direction to avoid the boys. Five minutes later, she judged herself far away enough from any racer to catch her breath.

"Why do they hunt me? I don't mean any harm to them; I just want to race," she thought. Tears pricked her eyes and she briefly considered just giving up. Her life was like that of a vagrant; skulking around, living hand-to-mouth, and with no real place to call home. Now the racers were hunting her like a prize deer. Despondency enveloped her like a cold mist.

Then she remembered her dream: to race and be added to the daily roster. She believed that if she could just make it as a playable racer, King Candy and the racers might just see that she was genuine and accept her. She remembered the kart she was laboring on; the rattletrap combination of discarded parts she had lovingly christened the Lickety-Split. She remembered her purpose: to race.

As she lifted her head, a flash of pink caught her eye. It seemed somehow…familiar. She leaped to a closer tree. She could hardly believe it. Pink Lightning? Just…parked on the main trail like that? An idea hopped around excitedly in her mind. If she could steal it- "Wait, is this a trap?" she wondered for a moment. "Taffyta would never just leave her kart like that. But she was riding with Rancis…"

Dare she steal Pink Lightning?

She climbed cautiously down the tree, landing with bent knees in the bushes. Her senses were on full alert; she glanced around carefully watching and listening for any alien sound or figure in the forest. The birds and insects showed no fear or disturbance. She decided to risk it.

Moving at top speed, she dashed into the clearing and clambered into Pink Lightning, trying to start the engine. The engine coughed and spluttered but refused to start. Vanellope quickly clawed open the hood and immediately spotted the loose wires. Plugging them back in, she pressed the starter button again with crossed fingers and clenched teeth. Pink Lightning vroomed into life. She put the kart into gear and hit the accelerator pedal. As she zoomed away, she could hardly believe it. Imagine the irony of her escaping from her nemesis, Taffyta, in Taffyta's own kart.

Meanwhile, the hood-mounted camera clicked on without Vanellope's knowledge. Vanellope was live on Sugar Rush TV.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

All the TVs in Sugar Rush immediately cut to the picture of Vanellope racing away from Candy Cane Forest in Pink Lightning. King Candy, who was lounging in his bathtub in a swimsuit at that moment, gasped, "What?" and nearly drowned in surprise. Spluttering and coughing, he clambered out of the tub before stopping and wondering exactly what to do.

"Sour Bill!" he yelled. The little green cough drop stuck his head in and immediately averted his gaze. "Yes, sir?"

"Look at me when I talk to you, alright?" King Candy commanded, annoyed. Sour Bill shuddered but slowly turned back to face King Candy. "The Glitch has gotten her hands on a kart! Now what do I do? The hunt is going to be delayed! How is my show going to be televised on time?"

King Candy had planned an hour-long show retracing his reign and particularly, his racing and numerous race wins, especially for Sugar Rush's anniversary.

"Sour Bill! Tell me! What am I going to do?"

"If I were you, sir, I'd put my clothes on first."

King Candy turned bright red and screamed. "Get out from my presence immediately! You do not observe your undressed superior!" Sour Bill was only too glad to oblige, scurrying out into the corridor.

A minute later, King Candy strode out. "Now tell me, what am I going to do?"

"Why don't you just let Taffyta know?" Sour Bill offered.

"Why Taffyta?"

"Well, for one, she's your favorite. Secondly, she hates Vanellope. And thirdly, that's her kart."

A look of realization dawned on King Candy. "What an excellent idea I've had! I will let Taffyta know that the Glitch has stolen her kart!" He immediately rushed off to contact Taffyta.

"What an incredible stroke of genius, sir." Sour Bill deadpanned.

Taffyta's communicator beeped. Call from King Candy, the screen displayed. She summoned a sweet smile and answered. "Hello, sir! What an honour to receive a call from you!"

"Taffyta, do you know where the Glitch is?" Without waiting for a reply, King Candy aimed the communicator at his TV. Taffyta's jaw dropped as she saw Vanellope in Pink Lightning.

"That's….my…kart."

"Precisely, my dear."

"The Glitch…stole…MY…KART!"

King Candy chuckled as he watched Taffyta go into a meltdown. He waited to see if she had anything more to say. The screen displayed Taffyta screaming in rage, punching the seat, and throttling Rancis. "Ooh my, that girl has a violent temper," King Candy remarked to no one in particular. "I wouldn't like to be the Glitch when Taffyta gets within range. And oh, by the way, Taffyta?"

Taffyta composed herself for a moment. "Yes, sir?"

"She's on the road heading for Diet Cola Mountain." The screen went dead.

"Glitch, you will live to regret this day." She hefted Rancis' unconscious body into the backseat before slamming down on the accelerator pedal.

~o~

Vanellope was driving as fast as she could away from the Candy Cane Forest. Exulting in the pure pleasure of speed, she looked up to the sky in a rare moment of bliss. Unknown to her, the camera attached to Pink Lightning was still recording her. Only several minutes later did she realize it. Quickly swinging over to the side of the road, she wrenched the camera off and dumped it in the bushes.

From the comfort of his living room, King Candy cursed. He had wanted to see where the Glitch was going to escape to. No matter, he would just have to wait for Taffyta to locate the Glitch.

~o~

Vanellope had fled the best she knew how, but Taffyta was closing in. Barely two hundred metres separated the Kit Kart from Pink Lightning. Taffyta loaded her crossbow and set it for long-range shooting. She launched a couple of test shots, and began shooting in earnest, aiming for Vanellope.

To Vanellope's horror, a stray arrow punctured Pink Lightning's left rear tire. The Kit Kart immediately started eating big chunks out of Pink Lightning's lead. In desperation, Vanellope swung Pink Lightning off the road and back on, clipping the Kit Kart and causing both karts to spin out of control. Vanellope leaped off and rolled to her feet, fleeing on foot for what she thought was her final few minutes of freedom.

Taffyta shook her head, slightly stunned by the collision. She saw Vanellope running off in the direction of Diet Cola Mountain. Instinctively, she grabbed her crossbow, but a darker and more dramatic idea bubbled up in her mind. She stood up on the hood of her kart. "Run, while you still can, Glitch, because I will run you down with the very kart you were hoping to escape with!" Taffyta started repairing Pink Lightning, fire flashing from her eyes.

Vanellope ran as fast as she could, fully expecting Taffyta's threat to come to fruition. She was on the plain surrounding Diet Cola Mountain, with nowhere to hide. Still, she ran on and on. A rumbling motor soon provided an ominous background to her flight.

She reached the verge of exhaustion but pushed on. "Just till I reach Diet Cola Mountain," she told herself. She had no idea what she was going to do or where to hide, but she ran on toward the imposing mountain.

Reaching the foot, Vanellope stopped, exhausted and out of ideas. She had been on the run for hours, longer than ever before. She walked up to the mountain and collapsed on the surface, dejected. In her mind, she was already preparing for Taffyta's rage.

To her surprise, the mountain wall seemed to give way behind her and she fell…into the mountain, landing on her butt. Her brain struggled to process this for a moment. She got up and realized the wall was not solid. A step forward and she was in the open; a step back and she was standing within the bowels of Diet Cola Mountain. Intrigued, she tried to stand right on the border, half in and half out of the mountain.

Her little examination of the mountain wall was cut short by an approaching engine. Fear reappearing, she quickly skipped into the mountain and hid behind the nearest rock formation. Did Taffyta know about this place?


	4. Chapter 4

This is a reposting of chapter 4 with expansion on the previous themes. Sincere apologies for the previous attempt; it was rushed and not developed properly. I am thankful for crankyman7's review that pointed this out.

**Chapter 4**

Taffyta zigzagged through the gummies around Diet Cola Mountain. She was sure that it was just a matter of time; there was nowhere to hide. No known caves or tunnels existed in this area. The gummies would only be a minor delay in her victory.

Fifteen minutes later, the first sliver of doubt entered Taffyta's mind. How could the Glitch stay hidden? Dodging in and out of the gummies could only work for so long. Taffyta continued her search.

~o~

After half an hour of fruitless searching, a mixture of emotions welled up in Taffyta. Confusion about Vanellope's whereabouts, frustration and annoyance that she had passed up the chance to catch Vanellope, and rage at being outsmarted. She had crisscrossed the area around Diet Cola Mountain numerous times to no avail; it almost seemed like Vanellope had vanished off the grid.

"There is nowhere to hide! How is she doing this?" Taffyta muttered through gritted teeth. A blinking light on Pink Lightning's dashboard indicated low fuel. Taffyta swore. Pink Lightning slunk away from Diet Cola Mountain; its driver beaten.

"What?" King Candy goggled. "How?" He had watched Taffyta boast of running Vanellope down in Pink Lightning and her eventual failure. He had delayed his show because he was so sure that Taffyta would manage to hunt down Vanellope. Now, King Candy was left with no winner of the hunt and massive embarrassment that Vanellope had somehow outsmarted him and the racers. He stood up and paced the room.

"I can't let Sugar Rush know that it was a failure," he muttered. "Sour Bill!"

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"The Glitch has somehow eluded Taffyta. Now what do I do? I must remain perfect and victorious. The Glitch cannot be allowed to win this!"

"Sir, why don't you announce that Taffyta has successfully located the Glitch, and that you called her off so that you can personally capture the Glitch? You will still have a winner, and you can chase Vanellope on your own time."

"Sour Bill, I have just had another brilliant idea!" King Candy exulted proudly. "I will announce that I, as the monarch, will end the hunt by capturing the Glitch personally!" He rushed off to the TV studio.

"Of course, I did nothing," complained Sour Bill, as he turned on his heel.

~o~

Vanellope stayed safely ensconced in the bowels of Diet Cola Mountain as Pink Lightning combed the surrounding area. Later, the Kandy Kart, accompanied by the donut cops and graham bear guards, also failed to discover her hiding place. Vanellope slipped into restful slumber, completely exhausted, as the roar of engines faded away.

Vanellope awoke the next morning and remembered all that had occurred the previous day. She realized she had finally found a hiding place that no one even knew existed, and she would make sure no one would ever find out about it.

_"__I've actually found a place I can call…home."_

Neither King Candy and his guards nor Taffyta and the racers would be able to locate her if she carefully regulated her movements.

~o~

King Candy, of course, was unable to locate Vanellope. His cops and guards continued scouring the area until nightfall, upon which they had to call off the search. King Candy stewed silently at the Glitch's 'triumph' over the hunters. Had she actually disappeared from the game?

A quick examination of the game's code proved that Vanellope was still lurking somewhere in Sugar Rush; King Candy just had no idea where. Seeing Vanellope's isolated code box reminded of the day he took over control of Sugar Rush.

Floating in darkness, he relived sneaking past castle security and breaking into the code vault, locking up the racers' memories and savaging Vanellope's code box, and reprogramming the game with him as monarch.

He opened his eyes, bringing him back to reality. Once again, Turbo swore that he would not allow the former princess to regain the throne that he had wrested from her grasp. If only she could be deleted from the game; his worries would be over. But as long as Vanellope roamed free, he always worried that she would somehow enter and finish a race.

"No, I don't need to be afraid of that," he reasoned. "That little she-devil will make sure of that. Ahh, the irony of Taffyta turning on her best friend. It's almost too easy; they believe whatever I tell them."

~o~

Taffyta sulked on the track the next day. Gloyd and Swizzle approached her, intending to tease her about letting Vanellope slip between her fingers. But before they could open their mouths, she shot them a steely look that declared, "I don't wanna talk. Leave me alone." They immediately wilted under her death glare and meekly turned away.

Even Rancis, her occasional boyfriend and ally, failed to make any headway with her. She didn't harbor any hatred toward him, but she refused to respond with any action other than a nod or shake of the head. He too gave up after placing an understanding hand on her shoulder and telling her, "If you need someone to talk to, I'll always be there to listen." She nodded, her frown fading ever so slightly.

That day, none of the racers wanted to tangle with her on the track. She raced with a fury and single-mindedness that extended to strategic bumping and even deliberately wrecking others. Even King Candy shied away from engaging her head-on. She racked up nineteen wins, with twelve consecutive wins, out thirty-one races that arcade day. Her blazing determination carried over into the Random Roster Race, when she pipped King Candy to top spot and center slot in the 'Chews Your Racer' menu; something which rarely occurred.

Immediately after the race ended, she kept on driving, ignoring her fans and fellow racers' congratulations. She screeched to a halt in front of her home, dumped her helmet in her kart, and slammed the front door on her way in. She sat down at her dining table and put her head in her hands.

She reviewed all the events of the hunt in her head, getting angrier with every memory of the Glitch outrunning and outsmarting her. The arrow that barely missed, the chase on foot, the Glitch stealing Pink Lightning, the Glitch crashing the karts and fleeing on foot, and Taffyta's boastful threat. Why had she waited instead of finishing off the Glitch at once? She kept being plagued with the thought of, "What if?"

"I shouldn't have let her get away! Why did I do that? I was so confident I could find her again!" she berated herself.

Her mind started wandering to the question of where Vanellope could have hidden. Diet Cola Mountain was near impossible to climb, and could be ruled out. The gummies provided only limited cover; Taffyta had played hide-and-seek there before. There was nowhere else conceivable that could have served as a hiding place.

Had the Glitch actually vanished off the grid? Taffyta allowed herself to savour the thought of the Glitch being permanently deleted. But King Candy would have immediately announced it if the Glitch had been deleted; that would unfortunately have to be ruled out.

_Next time, you won't get off easy, Glitch_. Taffyta curled her hand into a fist and slammed it down onto the wooden dining table. She swore she would never let the Glitch enter a race. If the Glitch ever got her hands on a kart, Taffyta would destroy it.


	5. Epilogue

When I last updated this story, crankyman7 pointed out that the previous chapter was rushed and poorly expanded upon. This is true, and I want to apologize for the previous chapter 4.

I have done my best to rectify that wrong by reuploading a better-developed chapter 4. Please read and let me know your opinion on it. Note: This epilogue is not the reuploaded chapter 4; it is a separate chapter that ends the story.

Enjoy!

**Epilogue**

In the following days, Vanellope began work to make her new 'home' comfortable by scrounging materials from the Junkyard. A roof, a discarded bed, some candy wrappers; she took what she needed and then what caught her fancy. She was careful to only move around only when King Candy and the racers were occupied in a race.

A makeshift shelter soon sat beside the pool of boiling soda. Although it was small and decrepit, Vanellope loved the security and measure of comfort that it brought her. It was barely better than a dump, but it was hers; she cherished it with all her heart. She was safe there in a way she never was before. After her home was constructed, she was free to begin her next project that would bring her closer to her dream of competing in a race: building a kart.

Vanellope lay back on her bed and envisioned her speedy vehicle. It would be colorfully decorated, and faster than Pink Lightning. She had already thought of the perfect name: The Lickety-Split. With those sweet thoughts in her mind, she drifted off into pleasant dreams in which she took her rightful place on the roster, outmaneuvered King Candy and Taffyta, and proudly held aloft golden trophies. Someday…

And thus, we come to the end of this story! It started out as an attempt to reintegrate myself back into writing fanfiction, and this story has reignited my passion for writing. I have a few oneshots in the works, as well as a racing-centric 'game/story' idea I will flesh out in the coming months.

A shoutout to all reviewers, followers, and favorites:

AlecReyes

Dixie Darlin

Smokescreen2814

crankyman7

TwistelCreampuff (Guest)

Lord Candycane

Countryboy93

101olive4u

Badbloodkiller (Guest)

Guest

SwizzleMalarkeyFan

TURBOTASTIC

Toa Aerrow

girlpandagreenlime

You are all awesome! Thanks for all the reviews; I really treasure each one. And another shoutout to crankyman7; I truly respect your reviews, comments, and constructive criticism. Thanks for constantly helping me to become a better writer and demanding excellence from me and my stories.

Shalom, God bless, and I hope to see you soon on my next story!


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